Communication is Key
by Potterholic85
Summary: What will happen with a tremendously shy girl and the boy who can't seem to get her off his mind? NextGen fic.
1. Chapter 1: The Spy

**Chapter 1: The Spy**

* * *

Scorpius silently tiptoed through the tomes of the library, positioning himself in the musty Arithmancy section. He slid hardbacks on the shelves this way and that, and to a casual observer, it would appear that the young sixth year was searching for a book to help him with a particularly difficult equation. The observer might be confused, however, when he stopped his hunt and gazed through a space created in the dislodged books. Through this gap, he found what he was looking for.

There she was, only a few meters away from him, just like she was every day. He smiled as he watched her brush her hair out of her eyes, only to have it fall back again. She chewed on her lip as she studied; sliding her finger along the words she read with one hand and tapped her quill on the desk with the other. Her study area was neatly arranged, books she had already learned from on the right, books she still needed to analyze on the left. Empty scrolls of parchment were placed at the top of the desk, ready to have notes and essays written in them, while more scrolls sat in her satchel, already filled with her tiny scrawl.

Scorpius leaned against the bookshelf and laid his chin on the dusty wood. This was his favorite time of day. He would be content to watch her all evening. Maybe he'd even have the courage to leave his hiding spot and—

"Hey what are you doing?!"

It took Scorpius everything in him not to scream like a first year. Heart beating wildly, he spun around, then let out a frustrated growl as he saw his best mate, Albus Potter, standing beside him with a less-than apologetic grin on his face. Trying to calm his breathing, Scorpius gave Albus an irritated look before dashing towards the library doors, hoping against hope that his friend would follow him and not continue to loudly announce their presence to the scholarly Ravenclaw. When he looked over his shoulder, he noticed Albus glancing through the gap he created in the books. _Oh, great… _he thought to himself.

He exited the library and leaned against the wall next to the doors. A few moments later Albus followed him out into the dim hallway and, as he anticipated, an eyebrow raised into his dark fringe.

"Spying on my cousin again?"

"Al…" Scorpius moaned, covering his face with his hands.

"Listen, Scor," Albus started, leaning against the wall next to him. "You've been doing this all year."

Scorpius rubbed his face before leaning his head back against the wall. "I know, Al."

"And you haven't spoken to her once."

"I know that as well, thank you," Scorpius bit back.

Albus let out a small laugh and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "I just don't know what you see in her, mate."

"Well I should hope not, unless you're quite keen on incest."

Albus punched Scorpius in the arm, causing the blond to fall to the ground, clutching the injured appendage in pain.

"I mean, Rose isn't like other girls," Albus continued, as though his act of violence never occurred.

"I can't feel my arm. I think you killed it."

"I'm just not sure where we went wrong with her…"

Scorpius frowned at Albus from the ground, a twinge of anger he always felt when they discussed Rose forming in his gut. "There's nothing wrong with her."

Albus ignored Scorpius, who was vigorously rubbing his arm. "She just doesn't… I don't know, _do_ anything."

"She does plenty!" Scorpius fumed, quickly getting back to his feet. His strong sense of protectiveness grew stronger by the moment. "She…"

"Studies?" Albus said, stating the obvious answer.

"Well, yes! And she…." Scorpius paused. He wracked his brain, trying to think of any sort of activity in the past that involved Rose not studying. Unfortunately, his brain failed him.

"Face it, mate, she sleeps, she eats, she goes to class, she studies. She doesn't talk to anyone but me. She doesn't want to join us in pick-up games of Quidditch. She doesn't want to go to Hogsmeade with us. I can't even get her to sit in the family compartment on the Hogwarts Express."

"Just because she's studious doesn't mean there's something wrong with her, Albus," Scorpius seethed.

Before Albus could reply, the library doors opened, and out walked the object of Scorpius' unrequited affections. Albus gave his panicked friend a knowing look before walking up to her.

"Hey, Rosie!" he greeted her, throwing an arm over her shoulders to stop her in her tracks.

Rose stood stock-still and stared at the ground, her long red hair curtaining her face. "Hello, Albus."

"Scor and I here were just talking about going back to the Gryffindor Common Room and starting up an Exploding Snaps tournament. Are you game?" Albus asked in an excited manner, as though she would get caught up in the emotion and agree to play.

Rose quickly glanced up at Scorpius before staring back down to the ground. "No thank you," she replied quietly.

Albus gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Come on, Rosie! Where are you headed off to that's more important than a rousing game of Snaps?"

"I'm going to dinner," she nearly whispered.

"Okay, then how about after dinner?"

"I'm going to study," she replied, never moving.

Albus sighed and lifted his arm from her shoulders. "All right. Maybe next time, yeah?" He began to walk away from her and down the hall, but not before shooting a satisfied smirk to Scorpius.

Scorpius' heart beat quickened as his so-called best friend abandoned him with Rose. He peeked at her out of the corner of his eye, noticing that her gaze was still on the ground, her books held tightly against her chest. He kicked at the stone floor, fumbling around for anything to say. Before he could mutter a word, however, Rose began to walk down the hallway.

"Uh… bye, Rose," he mumbled, his heart sinking at another failed attempt to communicate with her.

He shook his head and leaned against the wall again, closing his eyes in defeat.

"Goodbye, Scorpius."

He barely heard her soft reply in the deserted hallway. He opened his eyes and saw Rose swiftly retreating down the corridor.

Scorpius grinned as a glimmer of hope ignited inside him.


	2. Chapter 2: The Flashback

**A/N: I found an amazing piece of fan art. It's exactly what I imagine Rose to look like in this story. It's by an artist named Rhieme. The work is on DeviantArt, but I'm also going to post a link in my profile. I encourage you to check it out.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Flashback**

* * *

_April, Fifth Year_

"The assignment for the end term is the following: an essay on the advantages and disadvantages of runes in modern German society." A groan rumbled through Professor Babbling's classroom. "I understand this is quite a hefty project, so I will allow partner work." A small cheer of victory. "Of my choosing." A louder moan.

Professor Babbling worked on pairing the teens together, some of the students ecstatic to be paired with best friends, boyfriends or girlfriends, others rolling their eyes as they were forced to work with pupils of their disliking.

Scorpius was of the latter group.

"Malfoy with Weasley!" Babbling yelled over the group of students moving to sit by their partners. Scorpius let out a heavy sigh. _Wonderful. I have to work with the one Weasley who never says a word. This should be easy. _

He moved to the back corner of the room where his partner sat and gave her a nod as he settled down, which was reciprocated with Rose hunkering closer to her desk, trying to hide her face in the book that lay atop it.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. This was going to be a long two months…

* * *

"I was also thinking that we can focus on how runic numbers are utilized in Germany," Scorpius said as he wrote. He sat at a table near the Arithmancy section in the library, across from his partner. The conversation about their project had been rather one-sided, with Scorpius throwing out ideas and Rose either nodding or shaking her head to communicate with him.

Scorpius shook his head in silent frustration before continuing. "For example, the numbers are used to imitate muggle technology. From what I understand, the muggles use boxes called computers that are largely based on the use of numbers. Perhaps we can explore how Germans are working on doing the same thing only using the magical properties of symbols, like for the numbers two and seven-"

"The rune for seven is unknown."

Scorpius looked around for the voice he had just heard. It was soft, but had a pleasant tone. He looked to Rose to see if she was confused about the presence of the voice as well, and was slightly shocked to see her watching him from behind her hair.

"What was that?" he asked cautiously.

Rose cleared her throat and looked down at the table. "The… the rune for seven isn't a known rune."

Scorpius eyes widened with bewilderment. He had known her for five years, was even best friends with her cousin, but had never heard her speak before. He found himself incredibly intrigued.

"Why is that?" he asked, hoping she would continue to talk.

Rose was quiet for a moment. She watched her finger as she ran it along the feather of her quill, avoiding eye contact. "The number seven is a powerfully magical number. Its mysteries haven't yet been solved."

"Hm…" Scorpius responded, thinking both about what she said and that she actually said something. "So you're saying they don't know what the symbol is?"

Rose nodded her head.

"Well maybe we can figure that out for them," he responded, tapping his finger against his mouth. "Maybe it's a combination of symbols."

The silent girl looked up at him, her brow creased in skepticism.

"No, go with me here," Scorpius said excitedly, leaning towards her a little bit. "The symbol for one is a unicorn, and for six it's a salamander, right?"

Rose nodded again, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Maybe seven is a Unimander. Or a salacorn!"

Scorpius saw Rose roll her eyes at his ridiculousness, which he had expected. What he hadn't expected was the smallest smile to grace her face. Curious and encouraged, he continued. "No? Okay. Well three is a Runespoor, and four is a Fwooper…. I got it. Seven is a Fwoopoor."

A small giggle escaped from Rose's lips. She immediately covered her mouth with a hand. "It's not a Fwoopoor."

Scorpius was taken aback by this incredible development. Not only does she talk, but she laughs! He had to make this happen again.

"No? Hm… let me think… two is a Graphorn, and five is a Quintaped…" He snapped his fingers. "I got it. I got it! Seven is a Grapaped!"

A louder laugh came from Rose. It was a beautiful sound-light and airy but full of amusement. A warm feeling filled his stomach as she shook with mirth. He continued, wanting more than anything to hear it again.

"It totally makes sense, Rose! Imagine a quintaped with two huge horns sticking out of its head!"

"That sounds rather terrifying," Rose shook her head as she snickered quietly. "But I don't think that's what seven is."

Scorpius leaned further across the table. His head low, he looked past her curtain of hair and into her eyes for a moment. "Are you sure it's not a Grapaped?" he challenged.

Another soft giggle broke out from Rose. "I'm quite sure."

Scorpius leaned back and sighed. "Oh well. I tried. I suppose the mystery of the number seven will never be solved."

Scorpius watched Rose shake her head again. Her laughter died down, but the smile never left her face. "So, muggle technology…"

* * *

Scorpius was on his way to the library to meet Rose so they could put the finishing touches on their project, which they had completed in record time. The assignment went a lot smoother than he originally thought it would, especially since Rose began talking to him.

Scorpius reflected on their time together as he walked. Ever since he heard her first speak and laugh two weeks ago, he felt compelled to do everything he could think of to make it happen again. She never spoke with him in their classes, but in the library, at what he now identified as their table, she was slightly more open to the idea of talking to him about the project, other class work and books they had both read. She never revealed too much about herself, but it was enough to keep Scorpius fascinated. Her voice became intoxicating. Her laughter made his heart skip and his stomach warm pleasantly. Against his will, he found himself developing feelings for his best mate's cousin. Sure, he had been on dates, had a girlfriend or two, but never had he felt for them the way he did about the young woman who was silently invading his thoughts several times a day.

He sighed as he reluctantly opened a door leading into the library. He couldn't imagine she would be too enthusiastic about spending time with him without the excuse of the project, but he didn't want to stop seeing her. He couldn't simply give up her soft voice or deceivingly witty personality. He had to find a way to continue their encounters…

He walked over to the Arithmancy section and set his bag down on the floor before taking a seat.

"Good evening, Rose," he greeted.

She looked up from her book and smiled. "Hello."

He glanced down at the pages of her book, seeing diagrams of wand movement and small text.

He placed his fists on the table, one on top of the other, and settled his chin on them. "What are you studying?"

"Transfigurations," she answered, looking back down at the book. Scorpius knew that she wasn't being rude by giving one word answers; he was used carrying the conversation with her.

Scorpius leaned back in his chair. "Do you have the trans-species transfiguration essay to write as well?"

Rose nodded, never looking up from her book, so she never saw Scorpius' eyes widen and a smile form on his face as an idea popped into his head.

"You know," he started while sitting up, trying to sound slightly doleful, "I'm having a bit of a rough time with that essay, what with the, um, wand movements and all. You wouldn't be able to help me with it, would you?"

Rose glanced up at him quickly, and Scorpius gave the best pleading look he could muster. She bit her lip for a moment, her brow scrunched as she thought. "I don't see why not," she answered, looking back down at her book again.

Scorpius grinned at his cleverness. It was such a shame how much more "difficult" all of his class just became…

* * *

Weeks went by, and Scorpius studied with Rose nearly every night in the library. Rose remained a closed book as far as self-disclosure went, but Scorpius picked up on little things about her through observation. He noticed how she was very neat and organized. Her parchment was always straight on her desk and the quills lined up in a certain manner. He imagined her room at her house was probably very similar—perhaps pictures of her family lined up in an orderly fashion on her dresser, her closet full of clothes organized by season and type, her bed always made.

He also began notice how she interacted with her large family. It became evident quickly that Albus was the family member she was most comfortable around. Whenever he would come by their table with a question on his class work, she would respond easily. They could simply chat for a few minutes without her extreme shyness interfering. If another cousin came by with a question, however, she would give short answers and try her best to avoid any sort of contact.

After Roxanne Weasley left their table one evening once receiving reluctant help with a Charms problem, Scorpius decided to be daring and get to the bottom of her cousin quandary.

"I wonder where Al is…" he began. Rose just shrugged her shoulders. "All of these Weasley's around, can't find a single Potter among them…" he continued.

Scorpius saw Rose smirk as she continued to take notes on her parchment. "I'm sure he's around," she said quietly.

He nodded before delving a little deeper. "It seems you two are pretty close," he said, tapping his fingers on the table. Rose, never looking up, shrugged her shoulders again. "Some might even say he's your favorite cousin…"

Rose rolled her eyes and looked up at him. "We just grew up together. Same age and all…" she answered.

"I see," Scorpius commented. He propped his elbow on the table and raised his hand so he could rest his cheek in it. "So you guys spent a lot of time together…. Did you have him over for makeovers? Did you have sleepovers and stay up eating cookie dough and talking about boys all night?"

A snort came from Rose. She dropped her quill and covered her mouth as she silently laughed. "Did we? What makes you think we ever stopped?" she asked through her giggles.

Scorpius chuckled at the thought of his best friend staying up at night, painting his toenails with a large tub of ice cream next to him, and chatting excitingly.

"What boys would you and Al be talking about?" Scorpius asked quickly, energized by her jollity.

He watched as the humor in Rose's face slowly drained. Her eyes shifted all around, but never directly back to him. After a few seconds, she began to quickly pack up her belongings.

Scorpius watched her, confused. "Rose, where-"

"I, um…" she began, but never finished. All her things in her bag, she hastily left the library without a backward glance.

Scorpius watched after her, completely perplexed by what just happened.

The next evening, Scorpius entered the library and joined Rose at their table. He intended on acting like her sudden departure the previous evening never happened and go back to studying and figuring things out about her subtly. He began to pull books out of his bag, watching Rose out of the corner of his eye. She looked up at him as he sat down, then laid her quill on her parchment and folded her hands over it.

"Scorpius."

The teen quickly glanced up at her. She never initiated the conversation…

"What place are you in our year?" she asked softly.

A sinking feeling developed in Scorpius' gut. His plan had been figured out.

"I'm…. I'm second. Right behind you," he answered, exhaling and looking down at the table as he did so.

Rose nodded her head. "Don't you think that your educational talents would be better used to help others in need of tutoring?"

Scorpius looked from the table to her. Her head was bowed down, her hair covering her face. He sat there for a moment, hoping that she would glance up at him, to help him figure out why she was dismissing him so suddenly. He had no such luck.

Scorpius slowly began putting his supplies back into his bag. "I suppose you're right," he said quietly. Bag packed, he stood up and looked at Rose one more time. She kept her eyes steadily on her folded hands. "Goodbye, Rose," he said softly and walked away.

Scorpius didn't see her bow her head as he walked away, wiping a tear that escaped her eye.


	3. Chapter 3: The Proposition

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to anavihs, who begged and pleaded for me to post it. :)  
**

**However, the next chapter is going to be quite large, and I haven't even started writing it, so it may take me a few days to get it posted. Just so you're all aware.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Proposition**

* * *

_Sixth Year, April 3_

"Rosie, you have to go!"

Scorpius had just arrived at his usual place in the library—behind a bookshelf very near Rose, when he heard a harsh whisper coming from their table.

"No, Albus, I don't," she answered in a dull voice.

Scorpius peeked through the books and saw Rose and her cousin sitting across from each other. Rose, as usual, had her nose stuck in a book. Albus, sitting forward in his chair, had reached over to lower the book from her face.

"You're the oldest child of two thirds of the reason that the war was won! You have to go!"

Ah, Scorpius understood now. Every five years on May 2, there was a ball at Hogwarts to commemorate the victory over Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Only the fifth years and above were invited, so this was the first time that the current group of sixth years would be allowed to attend.

Rose glared at her cousin. "There were more than three people that fought in the war, Albus. Neville, Luna, the Finnigans, our _entire family—"_

"You know what I mean," Albus seethed, leaning back into his seat and folding his arms. "Imagine what your parents would say if you didn't show up!"

Rose raised the book back up to her face. "My mother would understand that I need to study."

Albus, clearly frustrated, swiftly reached over the desk and lowered the book again. "All you do is study, Rose! You probably read every bloody book in this library! You already know everything!"

Rose released her book from Albus' grasp, shut it, and then slammed it on the table. Scorpius was shocked. He knew that she was much more candid when speaking with Albus, but he had never seen her so forceful with him before. "I am not going," she annunciated each word, making sure there was no mistake.

Albus leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms again like a scolded child. After a moment, however, his eyes widened, as if an idea suddenly appeared. He leaned towards Rose and whispered, "Is this about-"

"This isn't about anyone or anything!" Rose nearly shouted. She quickly lowered her head in embarrassment. She glanced around the library to make sure no unwanted attention was suddenly upon her, and then gave her cousin a pleading gaze. "Will you please just drop it?"

"Whatever, Rose," Albus said, standing up. "You're going to regret not going, especially when your _dad_ asks where you were." With that, he walked away.

Scorpius covered his head with his cloak as Al passed the bookshelf he was hidden behind. When he was sure that his friend was gone, he lowered his cloak and looked through the gap in the books. He saw Rose, eyes closed, take a deep breath. After a few seconds she shook her head, then opened her eyes, flipped her book open, and continued reading.

Scorpius leaned back against the shelf behind him. He hadn't really thought too much about the upcoming ball, and was now contemplating on what he was going to do. Albus hadn't kept quiet about the number of girls who asked about the young blonde, so Scorpius was aware of how easily he could obtain a date. His heart sank, though, when he thought about not being there with Rose. He knew he wouldn't be happy or be able to enjoy himself at all unless there was a certain beautiful redhead on his arm that evening.

Mind made up, he took a deep breath, steeling himself. _All right, Malfoy, Gryffindor courage, Gryffindor courage_…

Scorpius stepped out from behind the bookshelf, walked over to the table, and sat down. Rose's eyes grew wide and her brow furrowed when she realized who was sitting across from her.

"Good evening, Rose," he greeted gently.

Rose gave Scorpius a slight nod, the puzzled look never leaving her face.

After a moment of staring at her, Scorpius realized he was completely at a loss for words. _Maybe I should have thought about what I was going to say before coming over here… _He looked around the library, trying to find something, anything to talk about, when his eyes landed on the book that hid half of Rose's face. "What are you reading?"

"Standard Book of Spells," Rose answered shortly.

"Charming," Scorpius replied, smiling at his stupid joke. He noticed Rose's eyes squint a little, signifying to him that a small grin was hiding somewhere behind that book.

She laid the Charms manual down. _Success!_ "Was there something I could help you with, Scorpius?"

Scorpius sat up straighter, and nervously clasped his hands together. _This is it! Don't mess this up! You're a Malfoy—smooth, suave, confident. _"Rose," he began, his voice cracking. _Real suave, Casanova… _ He tried again. "Rose, I was… well the… you see, the V-Victory Ball is coming up and…" He glanced up at Rose half way through his botched proposition. What he expected to see was a young woman, turning red with embarrassment and fidgeting in discomfort. What he saw was nearly the complete opposite. Rose's face had turned red, but for an entirely different reason.

"Did… did Albus…" she began, her voice quiet and tight, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head in anger. "I can't believe… that little git! I swear to Merlin I'm going to-"

Scorpius put his hands out in front of him quickly. "Rose, stop!" She looked like she was about to jump out of her chair, find her cousin, and maim him beyond repair. Scorpius needed to continue quickly before his act of bravery resulted in his best friend meeting his maker. "Albus didn't send me. I came of my own volition."

Rose froze. Her red face quickly paled. Her eyes stared unblinkingly at him for a moment before she looked down at the table, then around the library, down at her hands, at the other students, anywhere but at Scorpius.

"Oh! I… I…" she sputtered, hastily moving her shaky hands to straighten the utensils around her, which resulted in her knocking a stack of scrolls off the table and upsetting her ink well.

Before she could continue to destroy her supplies, Scorpius laid each of his hands on each of hers. Rose quickly glanced down at their hands before slowly raising her wide eyes to meet his.

"I want to go to the ball with you," he told her calmly. Rose bowed her head, letting her hair veil her face. Scorpius leaned forward and lowered his head, trying to find her eyes again, but was only met with red locks. He sat back up. "You don't have to answer now. In fact, I'd prefer if you didn't, because I probably wouldn't like your answer," he chuckled lightly. Rose didn't move a muscle. The young Malfoy took a breath to strengthen his resolve before continuing. "I know the ball isn't your idea of an enjoyable evening, but I have to ask, because I can't imagine myself going with anyone but you."

Rose's breath sped up, indicated by the hair in front of her mouth moving in and out rapidly.  
Scorpius released her hands, which she pulled against her body and put into her lap.

He leaned back and examined her curtained form. Scorpius knew as soon as he thought of the idea that this wouldn't be easy. Asking her about a charms question? Hardly a problem. See if he could copy her notes? Not a qualm. But ask a painfully shy Rose to dress up and willingly be seen by others? It was like teaching a Mandrake to sing. But when he remembered last year- the way her smile reached her eyes as he approached her and her light laughter when he would say something silly- he knew that some things, or someone, rather, were worth fighting for.

He stood up from the table and pushed in his chair. "I'm going to be outside the Ravenclaw common room at 7:30 on May 2 in case you decide that you want to come with me. If you don't show up, I'll go straight back to Gryffindor Tower, settle by the fire with a book, and we'll never speak of this again." He turned around to walk away, but before he could get too far, he turned back to the young woman. "Rose?" Rose lifted her head just slightly, letting Scorpius know that she could see him through her strands. "I _really_ want to go to the ball."

And with that, he left a very flustered Rose in his wake.


	4. Chapter 4: The Ball

**Chapter 4: The Ball**

* * *

Scorpius paced back and forth in the dark corridor. Each time he turned, he glanced up the spiral staircase that led to the Ravenclaw Common Room door, which was annoyingly still. He checked his watch. 7:34. _All right, don't panic. Maybe she just needed a few extra minutes to get ready…_he thought to himself, trying very hard to forget his best friend's words that were echoing in his head.

"_She's not going," Albus stated as he looked in the mirror and straightened his tie. _

_Scorpius scowled at his mate from his bed where he was putting on his shoes. "You don't know that." _

_Albus scoffed before turning around to face Scorpius. "You do know who we're talking about, right? Rose Weasley? The girl whose life goal is to not be seen?" _

_Scorpius shoved Albus out of the way of the mirror and looked into it himself. He was wearing dark gray dress robes and a white tie. He had applied Sleakeasy Hair Potion to his hair-an attempt to keep his usually messy locks out of his eyes. It wasn't working very well. He grabbed a comb and continued to try to tame his bangs._

"_Well unlike you, I have faith in your cousin. She'll come tonight, I know it." _

"_Listen, I love my cousin, she's one of my best friends. And I would love to see her at the ball. But it's a ball. A _ball_," Albus emphasized. "Where she'll have to eat with others and, Merlin forbid, she might even have to dance." _

"_She'll be there," Scorpius said slowly, turning around to Albus and giving him a significant look._

"_Yeah, okay," Albus conceded wearily. He started walking towards the door. "I guess I'll see you after the ball. I'll sneak you a piece of pie to cheer you up." _

_Scorpius threw his comb at Albus, who ducked out of the door just in time. "Save two seats at your table!" he yelled after him. _

Scorpius looked down at his watch again. 7:36. He rubbed his hands roughly over his face and continued to pace the hallway. Never in his life had he wanted a door to open so badly. He ran different scenarios through his mind as he waited. Rose had been noticeably out of sight since he asked her to accompany him nearly a month ago. She stopped going to the library, she was the last one to enter class and the first to leave… he never really had a chance to speak with her again. It was possible that she simply forgot. _Yeah, that's likely…_He gazed at the stairs again, seriously debating running up them and trying to solve the doors riddle. Maybe he would find her in the common room. Maybe he could talk to her and convince her to come with him. Maybe…

_Maybe she's just not coming,_ he thought dejectedly, leaning against the wall across from the spiral staircase and sliding down it. He sat on his rear, his knees bent to touch his chest, the heels of his hands covering his eyes. Somewhere deep inside he knew that she wouldn't come. Albus was right, it's just too much for her to handle. And why would she want to go with him? She completely blew him off last year, what made him think that anything had changed?

Scorpius was so focused on berating himself that he hardly noticed the click of the door in the distance. When he realized what he had heard, he promptly glanced up the spiral staircase and he saw her. She was wearing a floor length off-white dress that modestly covered her arms and shoulders. The dress flowed silkily as she slowly walked down the steps, sparkling as the glitter caught the light of the torch in the corridor. Part of her crimson hair was clipped behind her ear, the other half laying gently behind her shoulders. Scorpius didn't know if he had ever seen anything more beautiful in his entire life.

She stopped on the second to last step, her eyes on the ground and her hands wringing.

Scorpius stood up quickly and brushed himself off before making his way over to her.

"You… you look radiant," he said, his awed voice making Rose glance at him for a moment before returning her attention to the stone floor.

Scorpius' temporary reprieve of criticizing thoughts ended and began flooding his mind once again. It was clearly evident to him that this was painful for her. She didn't want to go.

He closed his eyes and sighed deeply in defeat. "Listen, I know that you don't want to do this. You can just go back in and-"

"No," Rose said quietly. Scorpius raised his eyebrows at her, surprised. "Albus was right. I… I need to go. My parents, they _were_ part of the deciding factor in the war. They destroyed a bloody horcrux, for Merlin's sake…" Scorpius shook his head slightly. Now she cursed? Just when he thought he couldn't like her more…

"Well then I suppose we should head to dinner," he said, gallantly offering his arm. Rose looked at it for a moment, biting her lip, before descending the remaining stairs and tentatively looping her arm through his.

"I…" she started. She seemed to think about what she was going to say for a second, and then gave herself a tiny nod. "Scorpius, I don't want… I'd rather not have a lot attention drawn to us, if that's okay with you."

Scorpius rubbed his chin for a moment in pretend thought. "Well, I'll see what I can do, but it's going to be somewhat difficult, I feel." Rose looked up at him, trepidation etched on her face. "You're going to be with the most handsome guy there."

Rose rolled her eyes and let out a soft giggle. Scorpius' heart sped up at the sound.

They began their decent through the empty hallways to the Great Hall, her arm never leaving his. They talked about her parents, Rose regaling Scorpius with a more in depth explanation about their destruction of the horcrux. She laughed again as she talked about her parents' first kiss and her Uncle Harry's reaction to it. Scorpius subtly pulled her a little closer to him, which she didn't seem to notice. He thought she would feel his quickened heart beat, but she never reacted.

They arrived at the Great Hall entrance ten minutes later. They doors were closed, so Scorpius pushed one open slightly and allowed Rose to enter first. He walked in after her, and saw her standing completely still, staring into the crowd, her wide eyes frozen in terror. Confused, he followed her petrified gaze and saw nearly everyone in a very quiet, very still crowd looking at them from the round tables situated around the hall.

He rolled his eyes at the masses and took Rose's hand. Snapping out of her stupor, she looked up at him, her features still riddled shock and embarrassment. He pointed a finger at himself and said, "Most handsome, what did I tell you?" Rose's gazed stayed disconcerted for a moment before she let out an exasperated scoff and shook her head. Scorpius gave her a goofy smile. "Come on, Albus saved seats for us."

Keeping a hold of Rose's hand, he walked them to their table. As they travelled, Scorpius glowered out at the crowd, trying to relay that they should get on about their business, nothing to see here. As he looked around, his attention was caught by Harry Potter and his wife, Ginny, sitting at the faculty table. He knew Albus' parents from the times he had spent at the Potters' home. They were always very pleasant with him, welcoming him back whenever he wanted to come. Next to the Potters he saw Ron and Hermione Weasley.

If looks could kill, Scorpius would have been dead by Ron Weasley's doing. He kept a steady glare on the young Malfoy as they made their way though the crowd, his face turning redder and redder by the second. He noticed Hermione whispering to him, but it seemed nothing was going to pull his attention away from the young man who held the hand of his only daughter. Scorpius looked away from the faculty table, afraid that the older Weasley might jinx him if he didn't.

When they arrived at the table, he pulled out Rose's chair for her, which she sat in quite quickly, before taking his own seat. After he was settled, he looked at his best friend across the table, whose conversation with his date and fork rising to his mouth had halted, his eyes wide in surprise. Scorpius grinned at him arrogantly. Albus blinked a few times, then shrugged his shoulder and continued to enjoy his dinner.

The people at their table conversed as they dined—well, except Rose. Scorpius glanced over at her every few minutes. She daintily picked at her food, eating very little. By the time dessert popped up on their table, Scorpius once again doubted his decision to drag Rose into a very uncomfortable situation. That is, until Albus flicked a piece of apple pie at her, which landed on her plate. Rose glanced up quickly at her cousin, who had his head ducked and was shoveling pie into his mouth at a rapid pace. She raised her eyebrows and gave her cousin a playful glare. "Was that really necessary?"

Albus raised his head, his mouth full of the pastry, and nodded slowly.

Rose shook her head. She took her fork and played idly with the pie crumb on her plate. A few seconds later, another piece joined it, supplied by Albus.

"Albus Severus, do not start with me. You know you will lose," she said, putting down her fork and crossing her arms.

Albus seemed to weigh his options for a moment. Mind made up, he picked up his fork, took a large chunk out of his pie and turned it around in his hand, ready to launch it across the table at his cousin. Scorpius looked from him to Rose, who was still sitting with her arms crossed, her stare never leaving Albus' cantankerous form, as though she was daring him to make his move. Albus pulled the fork back further for a greater trajectory, but stopped when he glanced over Rose's shoulder. His face fell and he lowered his fork. Puzzled, Scorpius turned to see what stopped his immature mate, and saw Ginny Potter staring her son down from across the room. Scorpius turned back to Albus, giving his friend an impish grin.

"Not a word, Malfoy," Albus groused at Scorpius, stabbing the remaining pie moodily.

Scorpius laughed silently. He turned to Rose and noticed a smug smirk on her face. "Does this happen often?" he asked her quietly.

She lowered her head, a smug grin turning to shy smile. "About once a year since we were six," she replied.

"Yeah, and she always cheats," Albus grumped.

Rose shook her head at her cousin. "How do you cheat at a food fight, Albus?"

Her cousin glared at her. "You have your ways."

She rolled her eyes, amused.

Soon enough the dinner portion of their evening was over and Headmaster Copplestone was standing in front of the faculty table. "Good evening, students and guests. I hope the meal prepared by our well paid house elves was to your satisfaction." He bowed slightly to Hermione.

Scorpius heard a groan next to him. When he looked over at Rose, her hand was covering her eyes, a faint blush brushing her cheeks. Scorpius smiled in amusement. He had seen her embarrassed before, very recently in fact, and never relished in making her live through it very long. But there was just something different about being embarrassed by one's parent that tickled Scorpius' funny bone. He lightly elbowed Rose in her ribs, making him the recipient of a typical teenage glare, before Copplestone caught his attention again. "If you would all please stand away from your tables for a moment?"

Everyone in the hall stood up and took a step back. In a moment, the tables were pushed against the walls, staggered to allow people to still have a seat, but leaving a large open area in the middle of the hall. Professor Copplestone waved his wand again and a dance floor and large stage appeared.

"Ladies and gentlemen, for tonight's entertainment, I would like to introduce… The Purple Pixies!" Professor Copplestone announced exuberantly. The students all cheered vigorously as the four band members dressed in various shades of lilac, magenta, and periwinkle entered the Hall from an attached chamber room, carrying odd shaped instruments.

After the crowd calmed a bit, Professor Copplestone dimmed the torches with another wave of his wand, and created three magical spotlights that shined on the dance floor. "As is tradition, Harry Potter, Ginny Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Weasley will now lead us in our first dance."

The Purple Pixies began playing a slow waltz. Scorpius watched as Harry and Ginny stood up from the faculty table. Harry offered Ginny his hand, which she took lovingly. They made their way to the dance floor and began to slowly dance to the beat. Noticing that the rest of the Golden Trio was missing, he looked up at the head table and saw Hermione and Ron Weasley in a bit of a heated argument. Hermione was standing behind her chair, and it appeared that she was trying to talk her husband, who was resolutely staying in his seat, on to the dance floor.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Scorpius asked Rose, who was standing next to him. He saw her and Albus looking at the older couple, trying to decipher what was being said across the hall. Scorpius looked back as well. Hermione's attitude seemed to change as she spoke to Ron, now having a high and mighty demeanor. Ron, on the other hand, was growing red again and sputtering about something.

In an instant, the cousins' eyes lit up in mirth. "Viktor Krum," they said in unison, then began to laugh.

Scorpius turned his attention back to them, perplexed. "Viktor Krum? The Quidditch super star? Why would they be talking about him?"

Rose caught his gaze and smiled at him. "There's a history."

Scorpius tried to put two and two together. "Your mom… wait, you're mom dated Viktor Krum?" he asked amazed.

"For a bit," Rose answered, watching in amusement as her mother began walking out onto the dance floor, her father, red faced with embarrassment, following after her.

Scorpius hummed. "Well that's just fascinating, isn't it?"

"I'm sure it is when you haven't heard about it a thousand times," Rose scoffed, shaking her head at her silly parents.

As the song went on, more and more couples joined the war heroes on the dance floor. Albus took his date by the hand to spin her around the room, leaving Scorpius and Rose standing by themselves. Peeking out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Rose picking at her nails in an attempt to be nonchalant, but her shoulders were hunched as though she was trying to make herself smaller.

He considered asking her to dance, maybe on the edge of the dance floor so no one would really pay them any attention. He imagined that wouldn't go over very well, though. Even a little bit of attention was something he knew Rose would hyperventilate over. But he couldn't come to a ball and not _dance_…

He searched the room, trying to find a dark corner or someplace hidden where he might have an opportunity to take Rose into his arms. His eyes landed on a forgotten door, and the idea appeared to him in a flash. He walked over to Rose and offered his hand. She looked at it for a moment before staring at him as if he were absolutely insane.

Scorpius chuckled softly. "Trust me."

Rose gazed at him skeptically before placing her hand in his. He began to walk around the outskirts of the Great Hall, weaving between tables and talking couples. He led them behind the tall band podium and opened the door to the room the Purple Pixies emerged from. He quickly ushered her in and shut the door before unwanted gazes found them.

Rose looked around for a moment, somewhat confused about their new location, but her face lit up with a small smile as she realized where she was. She walked forward into the darkened room, took her wand out from inside her sleeve and lit a few torches. "I haven't been in here since first year," she mumbled softly, looking around reverently. She giggled gently. "I remember how terrified I was before the sorting. James told us that if the sorting hat couldn't figure out where to put us, it would eat all of our hair."

Scorpius laughed and continued to watch her meander around the room. It seemed as though she was almost comfortable with him now that they were away from the rest of the school. He saw her lightly tap her fingers against their thigh and hum to the muffled music coming through the closed door. He loved to see her like this, so peaceful and at ease. But he had a plan, and he was determined to go through with it.

He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, walked over, and tapped Rose on the shoulder. When she turned to him, he offered his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Rose gulped.


	5. Chapter 5: The Dance

**A/N: I know it's taken me a couple of weeks to post this chapter. It was a doozy. I rewrote it about five times, and I'm still not happy with it. But I'm tired of fiddling with it, so here it is!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Dance**

Scorpius and Rose were still, he with his hand offered to her, she staring at the proffered hand, brow scrunched and biting her lip. Both were hoping the other would move, but for very different reason.

Rose was the first to shift, treading backward. "I… I can't… I'm not a very…" she stumbled over her words. "I… I might step on your feet," she finished lamely, a blush spreading over her cheeks as she looked at the ground.

Scorpius took a step towards her, his hand still raised slightly. "I have very strong toes."

Rose took another hesitant step back. She returned her gaze to Scorpius, her face silently pleading with him to drop the idea.

He didn't.

"There's no one here but me," Scorpius gently persuaded, "no one to watch us." He observed Rose nibble on her lower lip again and blink several times. "Just one dance, Rose."

Rose put her arms against her sides and tapped her fingers repeatedly against her thighs. She watched his hand as though it were a snake about to jump up and bite her.

After a few agonizing moments, Rose finally, slowly placed her hand in Scorpius'. Relieved, he gradually pulled her close and put his other hand high on her waist. She rested her free hand _just_ on his shoulder and lowered her head to stare down at their feet. Scorpius began to sway to the muffled beat from the band outside the door, leading Rose in an awkward dance.

"There, that's not so bad, is it?" Scorpius asked the top of Rose's head.

He heard her scoff. "We'll see…"

Scorpius smirked and continued to sway. His heart was beating faster than normal, having her so near. He didn't think there was any way she couldn't hear or feel it. If she did, she never indicated.

They danced quietly, neither saying a word. Rose kept her head bowed. Scorpius watched loose wisps' of her hair flutter as he breathed.

After a few moments of complete silence, a thought appeared before Scorpius, and he hummed at it. Rose raised her head to investigate the noise, but seemed to realize how close they were standing. Her eyes grow wide before she quickly bowed her head to examine their feet again. Deciding to ignore her behavior, Scorpius voiced his thought. "Have you ever realized how our roles are kind of reversed?"

Rose stayed silent, leading Scorpius to believe she was just going to ignore him for the duration of their waltz, until he heard, "How so?"

Scorpius was pleasantly surprised to hear her answer; so much so that his breath caught. _Get a hold of yourself, man! _"Well, in a perfect world, you, being a Weasley, would be the queen of this Ball- chatting with your thousands of friends, dragging your very popular boyfriend from table to table." He heard Rose huff in derision before continuing. "And I, being a lonely Malfoy, would be in the library, all by myself, probably studying for hours on end."

Rose stayed silent for several seconds, causing Scorpius to think that maybe he had gone too far, pointing out her trait that many would call a flaw. His mind began whirling, trying to think of a way to take his foot out of his mouth, but became distracted by hair tickling his chin. He glanced down and saw Rose shaking her head, her face still pointed down at their moving feet. "I don't _always_ study…"

Scorpius blinked, befuddled by her admission. "No?" he asked.

"No. I actually only study part of the time. Mostly I read for my own enjoyment," she replied softly.

Scorpius tsked. "Sneaking Martin Miggs in your textbooks again, Rose? For shame…"

Rose turned her head up and stuck her tongue out at Scorpius. His heart skipped a beat. "Ha." She turned her gaze to the wall behind him. "Not comic books. I usually read a lot of Muggle literature, like Shakespeare-"

"Shakespeare was a wizard."

Rose shot Scorpius a look, her expression showing that she was clearly concerned about his sanity. "Shakespeare was _not _a wizard."

"Yes, he was," Scorpius retorted smugly.

"What in the world would make you believe that Shakespeare was a wizard?" Rose asked, slightly exasperated.

"It's obvious that only a mad wizard would write all those 'thee's and 'thou's and expect people to perform his plays without tripping over their tongues and ruining the whole production," Scorpius explained.

Rose rolled her eyes at Scorpius exaggeratedly, but giggled. He could see her eyes very clearly, being this close to her and without her hair hiding them. They were cerulean, with flecks of light brown in the iris. He couldn't look away- they were gorgeous. He unconsciously held on tighter to her waist. Rose's grin slipped from her face, but her eyes never left his…

The song ended. Rose quickly let go of Scorpius' hand and walked across the room, crossing her arms tightly over her chest and rubbing her biceps. Scorpius moved to stand behind her, took off his robe, and put it over her shoulders.

"Thank you," she whispered. Scorpius hoped that she would turn and face him, eager to continue their encounter, but it seemed that she didn't plan to budge. He bowed his head, disappointed. The young Gryffindor walked over to a nearby wall and leaned his back against it. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, listening to the new song the Purple Pixies had started. _At least I got my one dance,_ he thought dejectedly. He opened his eyes, intending to put Rose out of her misery and ask if he could walk her back to the Ravenclaw Tower, but was stopped short by Rose looking at him with determination. She opened her mouth to speak, then stopped. She took a deep breath, tried again, but closed her mouth quickly. She pursed her lips and stared at the floor for a moment. Then she slowly looked up at Scorpius, and asked softly, "Why did you want me to come with you?"

Scorpius cocked his head, confused. "What do you mean?"

Rose let out a frustrated sigh, throwing her arms in the air. She walked in a wide circle before facing him again. "You could have… you could have come with anyone! You… You're a Gryffindor, and you're friends with Al, and you… well..." She raised a hand and waved it up and down, at the same time running her eyes up and down Scorpius' tall frame. She stopped her tirade after another blush crossed her face.

Scorpius smirked at the very flustered Rose. He walked in front of her and bent down to look into her eyes. "Are you trying to say that you find me devastatingly handsome?"

Rose gave Scorpius a shove to his chest. "Oh, shut up," she grunted, crossing her arms again and shaking her head.

Scorpius took a step back and grinned widely at Rose. She frowned at him for only a moment before a small smile graced her features. Scorpius chuckled softly, and he received a quiet laugh back from the young woman in front of him.

His heart skipped another beat. He was sure he'd be dead by the end of the night from irregular heart rhythms. "That's the reason."

Rose's mirth was short lived and was replaced with puzzlement. "What's the reason?"

Scorpius took a step forward, standing directly in front of her again. He lightly touched a strand of hair that escaped from behind her shoulder and pushed it back into place. "Last year, when we had the Ancient Runes project together, I must regretfully inform you that I wasn't too happy with whom Professor Babbling paired me with." Rose quickly looked down at the ground, but not before Scorpius saw the hurt look in her eyes. He put a finger under her chin and lifted it so she was looking at him again. "But something changed, Rose. I heard you speak for the first time since I had known you. And then you _laughed_," Scorpius emphasized. He smiled tenderly at her, which was returned with another perplexed look. "Your laugh is intoxicating." Rose's eyes grew wide and cheeks became bright red at his confession, but her gaze was glued to his. "It's like… it's like wind chimes. It's light and airy and peaceful. It makes your whole face light up. Your eyes crinkle just a little bit in the corners and your smile… Rose, it's the most astounding smile I've ever seen. I knew from your first laugh that I wanted to make you do it as often as I possibly could. It makes me lose my breath and makes my chest tighten and -"

His heartfelt speech was abruptly cut off by a pair of lips pushed harshly against his own. Eyes wide, he looked down and saw Rose attached to the attacking mouth.

Scorpius froze, his system completely shocked. Seconds later, Rose detached from him, her face displaying complete mortification. Both stood absolutely still for a moment, staring into each other's eyes.

"Oh, God…" Rose whispered before running towards the door leading to the Great Hall, the gray robe falling from her shoulders as she ran.

It took Scorpius only a second to snap out of his stupor and run after her. He passed Rose as he ran, only stopping when he nearly crashed into the door. He turned towards her and splayed his body across the entry. "Rose, stop!"

Her eyes were wide, shifting rapidly to try and find another way out. She spotted the door that led to the Entrance Hall, but before she could sprint to it, her breath began to come in quick, irregular bursts. She then began to wheeze.

Scorpius realized what was happening and quickly conjured a chair, gently pushing her into it. "Deep breaths, Rose, deep breaths," he instructed. Rose leaned her elbows on her knees as she gulped for air. Scorpius kneeled down beside her and rubbed her back. "Man, I've heard that my talents take a girl's breath away, but this…."

Rose glared her deepest glower at him. Scorpius smiled apologetically and continued to run his hand along her back.

After a few moments, Rose's breathing slowed and returned to a normal pace. She covered her face with her hands and took a final deep sigh.

"Are you okay now?" Scorpius asked, leaving his hand on her back.

Rose, face still covered, huffed. "Fan-bloody-tastic."

Scorpius leaned back on his heels and watched her. She was shaking her head ever so slightly.

"Why don't you go out there and enjoy yourself?" She asked this quietly, but in a tone that let him know that she wanted to be alone.

His mind immediately flashed back to last year. He walked out of the library after being dismissed by Rose feeling depressed, his chest filled with a newfound, unwanted ache. He thought about all the time he stood behind that blasted bookshelf, wishing he only had the courage to talk to her again. And now that he finally had her with him, and she _kissed_ him, she wanted him to leave again?

"I'd much rather be in here, thank you very much."

His stout answer made Rose uncover her face. "Why?" she moaned, obviously not happy with his respond.

Scorpius leaned towards her and looked into her eyes. "Do I need to go on about how you make me feel again? Because I can if you would really like me to."

Rose groaned and covered her face again.

"Perhaps I _should_ repeat myself. The outcome last time was rather pleasant, and I would very much like a chance to participate." He reached up to take one of her hands in his own. Before he could pull it from her face, however, she quickly snapped her hands against her chest.

"Scorpius, we… this won't…"

Scorpius leaned back to sit on his heels again. His resolve was strong—he wasn't going to accept defeat so easily this time around. "Why not?"

Rose stared at him, her face growing redder and redder as the seconds passed, until—

"Because!" she shouted, throwing her arms in the air again, causing Scorpius to fling himself backward to avoid having his eye poked by her flailing hands. "Because I'm me!"

He worked her statement in his mind for a moment as he steadied himself, and determined that he had no idea what she meant. "I'm going to need a little more than that."

Rose let out a small grunt of frustration and rose from her chair. Scorpius stood up as she began to pace the room.

"You're right, in a perfect world I would be out there enjoying the ball with my friends," she muttered, her hair become disarrayed as she unconsciously ran her hands through it. "But I don't want it to be a perfect world."

Scorpius stepped closer to his perturbed date. "Why not?"

"Because I just want to be left alone!" Rose yelled, stopping her continuous pacing. She balled her fists at her side as she stared Scorpius down.

Scorpius was taken aback by her outburst, but quickly recovered. He sat in her abandoned chair and folded his hands on his lap. He said nothing, simply watched her look at him, her shoulders rising up and down hastily with each angry breath.

They stayed like that, Scorpius watching and Rose glaring, for several long seconds. Finally, Rose took a calming breath, closed her eyes and shook her head. She took her wand from her sleeve again and conjured another chair, then plopped down. After taking a few more steadying breaths, she began talking. "When Albus and I first came to Hogwarts, people were fascinated with us. They used to follow us around, asking question after question about our parents and our family, all of the years hounding us to join their groups and cliques. Albus, of course, loved the attention," she huffed, and Scorpius laughed with her. "James had already taken the brunt of the inquisition when he came here, so he didn't have it so bad. I was the first born to two of the Golden Trio, though." Rose timidly picked at her nails. "At first I would try to answer their questions, but it was the same thing, the same questions over and over again. I just wanted to go to my classes, enjoy meals with my family. I just…. I wanted…" Rose sighed and closed her eyes. "What I really wanted… I just wanted someone to ask me about _me_."

Scorpius scrunched his brow. "What do you mean?"

Rose lowered her head. "During first year, whenever I received high marks on a test, I would hear about my mother's intelligence. During the first flying lesson, when I was the only person able to hover on a broom without falling off, I was told about my father's amazing flying ability. 'Just like your mother.' 'Just like your father.' I heard it from the professors, other students… even my own family would make the comparisons," she stated spitefully. She then shook her head and looked up at Scorpius. "Please don't think that I don't love my parents. I do. They're both great, albeit weird, people, and I wouldn't trade them in for anything. But I just want…" She bit her lip as she thought, trying to compose the right words, but instead ended her sentence with a huff of frustration.

Scorpius reached across to Rose and took one of the hands that rested in her lap. He squeezed it, causing her to quickly glance at him. "I understand."

And he did. When he first arrived at Hogwarts, he was in the opposite situation- people weren't too keen to get to know him. But once he was sorted into Gryffindor and became friends with Albus Potter, almost all of the Malfoy propaganda was forgotten. He didn't imagine it was possible for Rose to escape the confines of being a Weasley.

Scorpius cleared his throat. "Does my opinion count?" Rose shrugged her shoulders. "I think you should leave the library and finally let the people get to know the real you."

Rose shook her head vigorously. "No. The library is safe. It's quiet. No one is in there looking for answer on horcruxes or how to fly on a dragon's back."

"There's an instruction manual for flying on a dragon's back?" Scorpius grinned. Rose rolled her eyes and smiled.

Scorpius reached out and took her other hand in his free one. "You said you want people to get to know the real you, but how are they supposed to do that if you won't let them?"

Rose huffed. "People don't want to get to know the real me."

"You're basing this off how they acted six years ago, Rose." He squeezed her hands to reassure her. "There's about forty nine thousand Weasley's and Potter's here now. I really don't think that anyone's going to ask you something about your family that they don't already know. They're probably tired of you lot by now, anyway."

Rose smirked. They sat quietly. Scorpius watched Rose chew on the inside of her cheek as she thought. Finally, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "I'm scared," she whispered.

Scorpius felt his chest tighten. He stood, lifting Rose with him, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He felt Rose stiffen against him, but relax after a moment. She hesitantly wrapped her arms around his back and laid her head on his shoulder.

"No need to fear. I'll be by your side no matter what you decide to do," Scorpius said, laying his chin on top of her head.

"That's partially what I'm afraid of."

Scorpius lifted his head, stunned at what he just heard. Did this mean… He looked down at Rose, so near to him, and saw only the top of her head. He gingerly placed his palm against her cheek, and ran his thumb along her cheekbone. Slowly, agonizingly, Rose lifted her head. Her eyes met his, hesitation shining from them, but also, deep inside, there was a hint of hope.

Before another word could be stumbled over, before crippling doubt could fill either mind, Scorpius leaned in and kissed her.

He felt like his heart stopped. He held his breath, waiting for her to pull away, but was pleasantly surprised when he felt her lips move against his. He brought his other hand to the side of her throat and ran a finger along her jaw. His breath caught as he felt both of her hands rest against his chest. Scorpius had a lot of moments in his life that he was happy with and proud of. They all failed in comparison to this one perfect instant.

They broke apart seconds later. They rested their foreheads against each other, both breathing erratically. Scorpius ran his hands down her arms and took hold of her hands again. Not a word was said between them, but it was anything but awkward.

Their moment of perfection was broken by Rose pulling back. Scorpius lifted his face to smile at her, but stopped when he noticed her raised eyebrow and calculating look. "You didn't really need help with all of your classes last year, did you?"

Scorpius smirked. "Finally catching on, are you?"

Rose playfully glared at him. "Clever."

"That's me," Scorpius smiled triumphantly. He squeezed her hands. "Ready to go out and join the rest of the world?"

Rose turned to look at the door. She took a deep breath and held it for a second, then said, "No." Scorpius laughed and pulled her towards him, enveloping her in his arms again. She reciprocated without hesitation this time, and laid her head on his chest. He knew that she could hear his increased heart rate, and for once he didn't mind it. "But I suppose if we don't make an appearance, my father will come and find us. Then he'll probably see us in this compromising position and will most likely kill you."

"All right, let's go!" Scorpius pulled away from her quickly and grabbed her hand, dragging them to the door. Rose giggled at his urgency.

Scorpius reached the door and put a hand on the handle, but was stopped by Rose pulling him back. He turned to her and saw her shoulders hunched, her face etched with worry.

"No matter what?" she asked.

Scorpius didn't need clarification. He placed both hands on her cheeks and gave her a short, sweet kiss. "No matter what."

Rose let out a happy sigh as Scorpius released her face and grabbed her hand. He gave it a comforting squeeze before opening the door. He poked his head out first, browsing for irate redheaded fathers. Seeing that the coast was clear, he walked out, bringing Rose with him.

"Al is sitting across the hall. Care to join him?" Scorpius asked into her ear. He saw her take a deep breath, then nodded.

He tightened his grip on her hand and began to walk. Instead of skirting around the tables and pushing against the walls, though, they travelled around the edge of the dance floor, through chatting couples and laughing friends. When they finally arrived at Albus' table, Scorpius' hand was hurting from Rose's increasing tightened clasp. He looked down at her and grinned widely. She reciprocated with an uneasy smile of her own.

Scorpius looked up and found his best friend staring at them, completely agog by the presence of the couple standing in front of him. He blinked several times before his bewildered expression turned into an impish smile. "I see all that stalking has finally paid off."

Scorpius' eyes widened. He stared Albus down, trying his hardest to perform any non-verbal curse that decided to work. Al simply smiled smugly back at him.

Scorpius glanced down at Rose, whose eyebrow was raised skeptically in his direction. "He's obviously had too much Butterbeer, has no idea what he's talking about," he muttered.

"Mmhmm." Disbelief evident in her tone. She squeezed his hand, however, letting him know that nothing had changed. _No matter what_, he thought to himself as he beamed down at her.

He'd just have to kill his best friend later.

* * *

Scorpius was at the punch table, getting a beverage for Rose. She was still with Albus, chatting amicably with him and his date. It took some time, and a lot of persuasion, but Rose finally, timidly, joined in on the friends' conversation. Rose and Al's date found they had a lot in common, and eventually annexed the entire exchange.

Scorpius saw someone grab a glass as he poured the punch into Rose's crystal goblet. He looked up and he saw Ron Weasley glowering at him.

Scorpius cleared his throat. "Good evening, Mr. Weasley."

Ron narrowed his eyes. "Malfoy."

Scorpius smiled at him and returned his attention to the punch. He had known for a while that Mr. Weasley didn't like him by association. He was okay with that, though. The older man wasn't the Weasley he was trying to impress.

"Lovely ball, isn't it?" Scorpius asked amiably, swirling the punch around the cup.

Ron only hummed. Scorpius stood next to the man, feeling slightly awkward. He distracted himself by scanning the crowded Great Hall for familiar faces. He peeked out of the corner of his eye to Ron, only to see him still glaring. Scorpius chuckled silently. "It was nice speaking with you, Mr. Weasley," he said to Rose's father, bowing his head before walking away.

"You know, I'm obligated to hate you."

Scorpius turned back to Ron, whose attention was now across room. "Yes sir, I understand that."

"But then I look at my little girl…" he murmured, shaking his head in defeat. Scorpius looked over to Rose, who was laughing along with Albus' date while Albus looked on, bored. "I haven't seen her laugh like that since she was ten. I'm assuming you had something to do with that?" Ron asked, frowning at Scorpius.

The young Malfoy smirked and looked back at Rose. "We had a discussion, yes."

Ron heaved a great sigh before offering his hand to Scorpius. Scorpius, looked down at it, astonished, before shaking it. Before he could pull away, Ron gripped his hand tightly. "If you hurt her, I will kill you," the very tall, very intimidating man said slowly, making sure that Scorpius understood every word.

Scorpius nodded his head quickly. He was extremely aware that Mr. Weasley was a well trained Auror and could very easily make a death look like an accident. "Yes, sir," he mumbled.

Ron released the blondes hand and walked away, leaving Scorpius to try to calm his sudden erratic heartbeat. Extreme shyness? Panic attacks? Death threats? Who ever knew that being in a relationship would be so difficult?

He turned back to Rose and saw that she was looking at him, the most beautiful smile on her lips, making him tingle all over.

She was worth it.

_**fin**_


End file.
